


you plant the sun in my heart

by wonhaosalts



Series: hogwarts heartaches [4]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: (everyone seems to find this very sad), ALSO HI I WAS STARRYCELLOPHANE !!, Angst, Fluff (?), M/M, One-Sided Attraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-06 21:54:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8770840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonhaosalts/pseuds/wonhaosalts
Summary: Wonwoo attempts to use the most ungentlemanly method ever to win over his crush’s heart: using a love potion. But some Gryffindor quidditch hotshot by the name of Kim Mingyu accidentally takes the bait instead...(This can’t end well for both of them.)





	1. hana.

**Author's Note:**

> I FINALLY MANAGED TO GET THIS OUT /cheers/ but it will be a 3 part (?) fic probably because i love meanie and it became longer than expected. also dON'T HATE ON LISA OK SHE'S MY BLACKPINK BIAS
> 
> ALSO DISCLAIMER PLS READ: i kind of? changed up how love potions work to fit the story and also i know wonwoo's brother is training to be a model but i changed it also for the story DONT HATE LMAO

_I._

 

Wonwoo felt as if he'd always lived life through a storm cloud of mishaps and disasters and would never find his silver lining. Childhood friend Junhui would know that he wasn't always so introverted and shy to initiate things when he was younger, but an accident with his brother had changed everything for him. Even though Wonwoo tried his best to avoid trouble any further, fate always saved the best for him. 

 

And once again, it just had to ruin the one day that he had needed to be perfect.

 

Being incredibly awkward, Wonwoo didn't know how exactly to tell a girl that he had feelings for her, especially with memories of his childhood accident chipping away at his confidence. However, Wonwoo did know about love potions, which he felt was the better option when it came to crushes. His friends found that absolutely ridiculous.

 

"I don't get why you can't just tell her you like her," Hansol said as soon as he took a seat next to Wonwoo at the Ravenclaw table. He had been Wonwoo’s partner in crime by distracting any students who were nearby as the older Ravenclaw slipped the vial into his cloak as secretly as he could. It had been a wonderful coincidence that their year was learning about said potions and how to brew them.

 

"You'll never understand," Wonwoo replied with ease. Unlike him, Hansol was popular and was never caught in a situation where he was socially inept. He revealed the vial carrying the potion and discreetly poured it into a glass of milk, which was next to him on the bench. The drink bubbled and fizzed for a few seconds before stopping, like the seeming calm before a storm. 

 

Just then, Wonwoo spotted his crush walk into the Great Hall. It was perfect timing. Her name was Lisa, a Gryffindor girl who was one of the unofficial cheerleaders for the Gryffindor Quidditch team in a group called Blackpink. She liked rap and was incredibly smart too, and Wonwoo had admired her for a long time, probably since their 2nd year. They were friends, but they weren't too close either. 

 

He stood up and grabbed the glass of milk, being careful not to spill it. Every single drop mattered. Ignoring some of Hansol's protests, Wonwoo strode over to her as confidently as he could manage. 

 

"Hey," Lisa greeted with a bright smile as soon as he entered her line of sight and she noticed that Wonwoo had been looking in her direction.

 

"Hi." Wonwoo's smile was stiff. Both of them stood there for a good few seconds in awkward silence. _This is exactly why I need a love potion,_ Wonwoo sent a mental telepathy to Hansol. 

 

“I got an extra glass of milk for my friend but he doesn’t want it, so I thought I’d give it to you since you like to drink it,” Wonwoo lied. He sent a gentle prayer to Rowena Ravenclaw that Lisa wasn’t smart enough to see through his questionable pretence. 

 

Thankfully, she took the bait. “Thanks, Wonwoo! You’re really nice.” Lisa smiled up at him and took the glass from him with one hand. Wonwoo attempted to smile back at her, but he guessed it came out as more of an awkward expression. It wasn’t his fault that he was born incapable of human interaction.

 

He slid back into his seat, and Hansol and Jihoon, who had also just arrived at the Great Hall, barraged him with questions about how it had gone. Ignoring them slightly, Wonwoo watched quietly as Lisa took a seat next to her friends, placing the glass of milk on the table. He took a bite of his croissant nervously, never letting his eyes roam away from her.

 

Just then, as she was laughing with some of her friends, Lisa lifted the glass of milk slowly. Wonwoo stared as everything miraculously went to plan. 

 

The glass was halfway to her lips. Jihoon and Hansol had turned around too to watch as Wonwoo’s fate unfolded.

 

About 2 centimetres to go. 

 

At this point, Wonwoo was convinced that he had succeeded, when a giant Gryffindor boy that he recognised as a popular Quidditch player by the name of Kim Mingyu approached her from behind.

 

Wonwoo was friends with him, but they weren’t very close. They talked a bit occasionally, but it was only because they were somewhat in the same social circle. Wonwoo could never be good friends with him; Mingyu was a league away from him. The Gryffindor was popular, handsome and extremely social, and was probably never seen without a girl swooning over him from behind. 

 

Obviously, he was Wonwoo’s complete opposite, who was always quiet, never smiled, and preferred to stay beside the dormitory fireplace and read than interact with others. Mingyu's life also revolved around Quidditch as well, which was something Wonwoo never had a particular interest in. It probably explained why they never spoke to each other without their friends to initiate.

 

Just as Lisa was about to drink from the glass, Mingyu snatched it away from her hand playfully and took a huge gulp of the milk, then proceeded to down it all. Just as quickly as the love potion was taking effect on him, Wonwoo’s entire world was shattering. It still hadn’t sunk in that it was another _boy_ that had taken his love potion, meant for Lisa.

 

Only when Mingyu blinked, tilted his head in confusion, and then turned to make direct eye contact with Wonwoo from across the Great Hall did Wonwoo realise that he had screwed up. Lisa had been hitting Mingyu’s arm in annoyance at his act, not fully aware of what had just happened. 

 

“Oh, shit,” Hansol voiced Wonwoo’s thoughts. “Mingyu just drank your love potion.”

 

_Oh shit indeed._

 

Jihoon gaped at Wonwoo, still in that state of disbelief. “You shouldn’t have tried that.”

 

Wonwoo didn’t need another Ravenclaw to tell him that this was the worst decision he had ever made in his life, and the feeling of Mingyu looking over at him was making him feel slightly nauseous. 

 

"Is there a spell to completely obliterate myself?" Wonwoo choked out.

 

Jihoon stared. "You're in Charms NEWTs, Wonwoo." 

 

“I think I’m going to leave first,” Wonwoo managed to cough out, and stumbled out of his seat towards the doors. There was still time to head back to Ravenclaw Tower and mourn over this under his duvet if he hurried, and then maybe he could find some more time to brew a love potion antidote before something turned for the worse.

 

Blocking out Jihoon and Hansol’s concerned questions, Wonwoo did a brisk walk out of the doors, only to feel a strong hand grab his arm. He turned around to see the one person he didn’t intend on bumping into at all, Kim Mingyu.

 

“Please let go,” Wonwoo said, trying not to make a big fuss out of it.

 

“Wonwoo-hyung, right?” Mingyu persisted, still grabbing onto his arm. “I know this is really sudden, but I like you.”

 

Wonwoo was about to implode in the the doorway. “You’re only saying this because you accidentally drank a love potion that wasn’t meant for you.” He tugged at his arm roughly, hoping that Mingyu would get a hint, but Gryffindors were impossibly stubborn.

 

Mingyu frowned slightly, looking hurt. “You don’t understand, Wonwoo-hyung. I really like you, in a romantic way.”

 

Wonwoo shoved Mingyu away with his free arm, and finally broke free of his grasp. “Listen, you’re under the effect of a love potion. You don’t actually have real feelings for me. Now please let me go while I try and fix this mess, _please._ ”

 

Mingyu was the one who didn’t understand, apparently. He advanced towards Wonwoo and grabbed his hand this time, tightly intertwining his fingers with the incredibly annoyed Ravenclaw boy. “Wonwoo-hyung,” he continued. “Please go out with me. I’m in love with you.”

 

Wonwoo had had enough. Mingyu’s insistent voice was giving him a headache, and coupled with the fact that his plan had failed, the Gryffindor was really starting to get on his nerves.

 

“Shut up,” Wonwoo hissed, and this was one of the few moments that he snapped with anger. “How many times do I have to repeat myself, or are you an _idiot_? I _told_ you that you took a love potion, so you don’t actually like me, so just go away and stop bothering me!”

 

Mingyu’s eyes softened, and released his grip on Wonwoo’s hand slightly, who took it as a cue to pull away as quickly as possible. “But hyung—”

 

Wonwoo was about to yell at the annoying prick who couldn’t understand English that was Kim Mingyu, when a very familiar-sounding cough broke him out of his state. 

 

"Is there something wrong, Mr Kim?" Minerva McGonagall, the head of the Gryffindor house, asked in a tone that spelled the warning of a detention. Wonwoo had heard many complaints about her from Chan and sometimes Seungcheol for being very strict with those under her house, but he was sure it wasn't just limited to Gryffindors from the way she was also staring at him.

 

Then again, she was a professor, and Wonwoo was sure that she would know what to do with a love potion gone wrong despite not being a potions master. Anything was better than consulting Snape, at least. 

 

"Professor McGonagall," Mingyu began in a very assuring tone. "There's nothing—“

 

Wonwoo glared at him in the same McGonagall manner. How could he just pretend nothing had happened? Wonwoo wanted none of this, and he was sure Mingyu would be horrified if he was actually aware of the circumstances. If only it wasn't an insolent Gryffindor like Mingyu who had taken the love potion by accident, maybe things would have been so much smoother.

 

"Actually, Professor," Wonwoo raised his voice to be louder than Mingyu's, causing Professor McGonagall to turn towards him instead. Everybody in Hogwarts recognised this the typical voice that Ravenclaws used to get the attention of teachers during class.

 

"You are, my dear?" Professor McGonagall asked in a more gentle tone, peering at Wonwoo through the top of her glasses. 

 

"I'm Jeon Wonwoo, Ravenclaw house," Wonwoo greeted politely with a bow. "I need to talk to you about something quite urgent actually, and it concerns Mingyu and me." He tried not to flinch at the mention of the Gryffindor's name, who was looking a bit uneasy. 

 

"What's wrong?" Professor McGonagall asked, and Wonwoo thought maybe she was actually pretty nice to Ravenclaws. He'd heard that she was almost sorted into his house once, after all. 

 

Wonwoo stepped a bit closer to her so that it wasn't heard by the other students who were walking past. "Mingyu accidentally drank some of the love potion that I made during potions class, so now he's... fallen in love with me, I _guess._ " 

 

Professor McGonagall blinked in disbelief at Wonwoo, then at Mingyu. "That does sound urgent," she said, and pushed both of them gently on their backs. "Come on, let's go to my staffroom." 

 

Both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were led to Professor McGonagall's staffroom awkwardly, and the walk there was painfully silent. Wonwoo was aware of the looks that Mingyu gave him as they went, but he ignored them and opted to just walk on. 

 

Once they were safely inside the staffroom away from possible prying students, Professor McGonagall allowed Wonwoo to explain the situation while she pored through a couple of textbooks which were neatly stacked on her table. They were in a long room with yellowing wallpaper and mismatched dark wooden chairs, which Professor McGonagall allowed them both to sit on.

 

"So... what can we do?” Wonwoo asked cautiously after telling her what had happened, obviously leaving out certain details like how it was meant to be used on someone else, and playing it out like it was a complete accident. He lied that Mingyu had stumbled upon his love potion that was made during potions class and had drunk it under the impression that it was a fizzy drink of some sort, causing him to fall in love with Wonwoo unwantedly (that part was true).

 

After a while, Professor McGonagall looked at Wonwoo albeit a little pitifully. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait it out, Mr Jeon." 

 

“What?” Wonwoo gaped. “I’m sure there’s an antidote of some sort? I could brew it myself. I can’t have this guy following me around all day, attempting to confess his feelings.”

 

Mingyu frowned at him. “Hyung, I mean it when I said I love you, you know.”

 

Wonwoo face-palmed. “Shut up, _please_.”

 

“The antidotes we currently have in the school have the potential risk of causing side effects, and I’m afraid the school can’t risk that on our students. The best way, I reckon, is to wait for the potion’s side effects to go away. There’s a small chance that he’ll forget most of what happened as well,” Professor McGonagall replied in response to Wonwoo’s question.

 

“Forget? I don’t want to forget Wonwoo-hyung, though,” Mingyu protested, sounding like an incredibly lost puppy.

 

“I wish you would,” Wonwoo deadpanned. This Gryffindor was starting to get on his nerves. “So, how long will I have to wait for?” he asked, hoping that it wasn’t a month or even worse, a year. Only God knew how much he could stand Mingyu for any longer.

 

“A few days,” Professor McGonagall said, much to Wonwoo’s relief. “3 more days, excluding today, should be enough to let the love potion’s effects wear off.”

 

Wonwoo broke into a smile. “That’s wonderful, Professor. Thank you so much.”

 

Mingyu leaned in towards Wonwoo, causing the latter to scowl and back away slowly. 

 

“You look really handsome when you smile, hyung.” He grinned, showing off his sharp canines. “You should do it more often, you know.”

 

“Why don’t you just don’t speak at all?” Wonwoo suggested, staring back at him blankly. “That would be the best 3 days I could ever have.”

 

“I can’t stay quiet for so long, but I’ll still make these 3 days the best few days you’ll ever have in your life!” Mingyu grabbed Wonwoo’s hands once again and beamed. “Go out on a date with me?”

 

Wonwoo gritted his teeth. “Never,” he announced, and ripped his hands out of Mingyu’s grasp. “I hate you.”

 

None of this would have happened if Mingyu didn’t drink that stupid love potion, and maybe Wonwoo would have already been a couple with Lisa. _Yes,_ Wonwoo felt nothing but hatred towards the idiot of a Gryffindor.

 

Professor McGonagall offered Wonwoo a small smile, perhaps as her condolences. “Good luck, Mr Jeon.”

 

He needed it.

 

After thanking Professor McGonagall and heading out of the staffroom for classes, Wonwoo was stopped yet again by Mingyu. The Ravenclaw was tempted to use the silencing charm on him if he didn’t stop bugging him.

 

“Hyung,” Mingyu said more quietly this time. “I’m sorry if we got off on the wrong foot, but maybe you could give me a chance?”

 

“You drank my love potion meant for someone else.” Wonwoo glared, but said it as quietly as he could so that no one else could hear it but Mingyu. “Of all the people, it had to be you.”

 

Mingyu’s eyes were downcast on the floor and his hands cupped in front of him, honestly looking like a puppy who had just been scolded. Wonwoo’s usual stone cold heart softened just a _tiny_ bit. Maybe he was a bit harsh. After all, Mingyu didn’t know about the love potion in the first place.

 

Wonwoo sighed. “Okay, I take what I said back. I’m sorry for saying that I hate you.”

 

Mingyu immediately perked up, smiling widely once more. “Really? So, you don’t dislike me then?”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes at how quickly his mood could change. “No, you’re still annoying.”

 

Mingyu laughed. “Hyung, you’re so cute.”

 

Wonwoo raised an eyebrow at that. “Even though you’re under a love potion’s effects, you still have _terrible_ taste if you think _I’m_ cute.”

 

Mingyu grinned, and nudged him gently with his shoulder. “Aw, you don’t have to be so shy around me.”

 

Wonwoo pushed him away, but this time gentler than before. “Shut up, and stop bugging me so much. I have classes to attend.”

 

Mingyu finally headed off in a different direction, but not before waving goodbye to Wonwoo. “I’ll see you later, hyung!” he said loudly.

 

Wonwoo turned and continued on his way, not bothering to reply. It was going to be a long few days.

 

_II._

 

“I shouldn’t have tried to give Lisa a love potion,” Wonwoo complained softly to Hansol, setting his quill down slowly. Both of them were in the school library attempting to get some homework done after classes ended, but Wonwoo’s mind was mostly on the love potion fiasco from earlier, and Hansol’s was clearly on rap as he scribbled new lyrics onto his notebook which was laid over the top of his Herbology notes. 

 

Hansol paused to look up and laugh at Wonwoo’s demise. Why was he still hanging out with him, Wonwoo wondered.

 

“As a Ravenclaw, I thought you would have known better,” Hansol chided.

 

Wonwoo stuck out his bottom lip slightly. “Okay, but I thought it was a pretty good plan at that time.”

 

“So, how’s Mingyu?” Hansol asked curiously. “He’s a pretty fun guy to hang out with.”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, which was something he seemed to be doing quite frequently ever since Mingyu had accidentally taken his love potion. “He’s a pretty _annoying_ guy to hang out with,” Wonwoo muttered. “He won’t stop talking about how much he has a crush on me, even though it’s clear that he’s under a love potion, and he knows it too.”

 

Hansol raised his eyebrows. “Really? Maybe you’re just upset over Lisa, but he’s not a bad guy overall. He’s pretty cool, if you just get to know him more.”

 

“You sound like you’re best friends with him already,” Wonwoo deadpanned. “Shouldn’t you stick up for your house mate?”

 

Hansol shrugged, returning to his lyrics. “I don’t discriminate against anyone who likes rap.”

 

Wonwoo was about to turn back to his essay when a familiar voice that he was a _little_ sick of by now called out to him. 

 

“Wonwoo-hyung!”

 

He spun around in his seat to find Mingyu standing behind him with a ton of books and quills in his arms, Chan next to him. Wonwoo’s eyes widened; had Mingyu heard their entire conversation? 

 

“Hi, hyung,” Chan greeted, taking a seat next to Hansol, who was sitting directly opposite Wonwoo.

 

“Hi,” Wonwoo tried to say as cheerfully as he could, but it still felt dull due to the fact that Mingyu had taken a seat next to him.

 

“Where’s my greeting?” Mingyu beamed. Hansol stopped writing in order to see the situation unfold, obviously treating it like a comedy show.

 

Wonwoo scoffed quietly. “I’ve seen more of you than I’d like; I think a greeting’s overdone.”

 

Hansol cracked up in the background while Chan just stared at the two, processing their banter. Mingyu didn’t seem affected by Wonwoo’s distancing at all.

 

“We hope you don’t mind that we crashed to study with both of you,” Chan piped up, obviously not aware of the love potion disaster. Wonwoo knew that Hansol would update him later, anyway.

 

Wonwoo turned to smile at him. “Of course I don’t mind,” he said, but he honestly wished that it was just Chan alone.

 

He turned back to his work, avoiding any conversation with Mingyu at all costs. It would have gone smoothly, but Mingyu had the unfortunate habit of tapping the table as he worked, and about twenty minutes in Wonwoo had started to get peeved.

 

“Can you stop that?” Wonwoo asked, trying to be as cordial as possible.

 

“Sorry,” Mingyu apologised, looking rather annoyed himself. “I always seem to do that by habit whenever I can’t solve a question.”

 

Wonwoo sighed, and his Ravenclaw instincts took over. He stretched out a hand. “Give it here.”

 

Mingyu blinked up at him, eyes wide. “What?”

 

Wonwoo sighed even more audibly this time, catching the attention of those within a two-metre radius in the relatively silent library. “Do you want me to help you with your work or not?”

 

Mingyu nodded instantly, handing the book over to the Ravenclaw. “Thank you, Wonwoo-hyung. You’re too nice.”

 

Wonwoo nodded back, too busy reading the Arithmancy question that Mingyu was currently stuck at to bother to reply.

 

“It’s no wonder I like you so much,” Mingyu continued, and Wonwoo tapped his head lightly with the book at that.

 

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I just don’t want you to keep tapping the table.” Wonwoo said, before showing the question to Mingyu again and circling a key part with his quill. Mingyu followed his indication immediately.

 

“This part here,” Wonwoo explained, pointing with his quill, “means that you can directly refer to your number chart to simply retrieve your answer.”

 

Mingyu stared at it, confused for a moment, before his eyes lit up and he took the book back. “I get it now! Thank you,” he said.

 

Wonwoo huffed, blowing some of his fringe out of his eyes. “You’re welcome, I guess.”

 

Not more than a minute later, the tapping resumed. Wonwoo spun to stare at Mingyu, annoyed.

 

“Another question?”

 

Mingyu grinned shyly. “I’m really shitty at Arithmancy.”

 

Wonwoo looked over his shoulder at the next question, not bothering to pull the book over to his side. He heard Mingyu breathe in an audible gulp, and he looked up, puzzled.

 

“Sorry, you were just really close to me,” Mingyu admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with an arm.

 

Wonwoo looked at him pointedly. “You’ll never get anywhere if you keep thinking about your fake feelings for me.” He looked down at the book again and pointed at a line with his finger. “This is basically the same thing as the last question, just differently phrased.”

 

Mingyu let out a long, but soft “ohh”, and went ahead to continue with the question. Wonwoo continued to look over at him. 

 

“You’re really that bad at Arithmancy?” Wonwoo asked. 

 

“Yeah,” Mingyu admitted sheepishly.

 

Wonwoo looked down at his own essay, but his Ravenclaw instincts were itching to teach Mingyu. He supposed he could always finish it at night after dinner. Wonwoo pushed his homework to the side, and pulled Mingyu’s book over so that it was between them now.

 

“I’ll tutor you,” Wonwoo offered.

 

“Really?” Mingyu gaped at him in disbelief.

 

Wonwoo nodded up at him.

 

“Thanks, hyung. You’re the best!” Mingyu grinned, his eyes reduced to small crescents.

 

Wonwoo coughed, turning back to the book. “Yeah yeah, you’re welcome. Now back to Arithmancy.”

 

(He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel the slightest bit happy at what Mingyu said.)

 

A few hours later, Wonwoo and Hansol had to go for a short house meeting. Mingyu disappointedly pouted at the former as he packed away his books and quills.

 

“Are you sure you have to go?” he asked. “I think I still need your help.”

 

Wonwoo scoffed. “Don’t lie to me just to make me keep you company,” he said, tapping Mingyu’s head with his pile of books once again. “I can tell you’re getting better.”

 

He turned to leave with Hansol in tow, saying goodbye to Chan as well, when a hand grabbed the back of his cloak. Wonwoo turned to look Mingyu straight in the eyes.

 

“I really like you, hyung,” Mingyu repeated, but his voice sounded strangely genuine. 

 

Wonwoo sighed, reaching behind to lift Mingyu’s hand off his clothes. It was repetitive, but Wonwoo decided that he might as well be nicer to the affected Gryffindor.

 

“Mingyu… I understand that you’re saying all this because of the love potion, and I’m sorry it had to be you.” Wonwoo offeredhim a small, sad smile. “But please don’t waste your time following me around or trying to get me to like you back. After all, your feelings are only temporary and they’ll go away in the next few days, okay?”

 

Wonwoo let go of his hand and walked away for a bit, but turned back to wave just a little at Mingyu, who seemed stunned by his words. “I’ll see you around, I guess.”

 

_III._

 

The next day, Mingyu didn’t really approach Wonwoo anymore, apart from a small wave and a smile at breakfast, which Wonwoo awkwardly returned. It felt kind of strange to not have Mingyu following him around anymore, but Wonwoo was pleased to know that he had talked some sense into the Gryffindor. There was no point for him to follow or talk to Wonwoo, since he didn’t have actual feelings for him. In 3 days, they’d just go back to being strangers.

 

Wonwoo snuck out of the Great Hall after having a cheeseburger for lunch, making sure not to let anyone spot him. He had the occasional routine of heading down to the pen where hippogriffs were kept, which were half horse and half eagle creatures. 

 

Wonwoo reached the pen near the forest where the school kept the hippogriffs, and where the students usually went for their Care of Magical Creatures class. Despite having a supposed resting bitch face, Wonwoo actually liked animals a lot, and only a select few of his friends knew that that was actually his favourite lesson.

 

He had a soft spot for the hippogriffs especially, with the way the majestic creatures seemed so proud and aloof, but were incredibly loyal and steadfast. Physical differences aside, Wonwoo thought they were somewhat alike. 

 

Wonwoo trudged through the slightly muddy pen and headed towards the mythical creatures; his favourite one was grazing at the back. It had coppery bronze feathers which blended into soft brown hair halfway, and slanted, brilliant orange eyes. Wonwoo knew that he wasn’t allowed to interact with these very dangerous creatures without teacher supervision, but they were always strangely friendly with him. 

 

Sometimes he preferred to be around them than actual people. It was easier to deal with animals since they were much simpler than humans, and Wonwoo didn’t have to worry about initiating things and getting others hurt—

 

_Forget it._ Wonwoo tried to blank his bad memories out of his mind as he approached the creatures.

 

The hippogriff shifted its attention to him as soon as he got close enough to it, and Wonwoo bowed to it first before doing anything else in order to show his respect. He had fed and patted it more times than he could think ever since he joined the Care of Magical Creatures class, but it was always a procedure he took just to be safe.

 

Almost immediately, like recognising an old friend, the hippogriff bowed back before approaching him with a low growl. Wonwoo beamed, scratching it behind the ears happily. It kind of seemed like the dog he’d always wanted but never got.

 

“I never pegged you as the type of guy who’d good with animals,” a voice rung out sharply against the serenity of the forest clearing.

 

Wonwoo jumped backwards from the startle, causing the hippogriffs to screech and spread their wings as if preparing to attack. Mingyu, who had been staring at Wonwoo all along and leaning against the side of the pen, yelped and stumbled backwards upon hearing the hippogriffs’ cry, almost falling onto the grass clumsily.

 

Wonwoo quickly regained his composure and, ignoring Mingyu, reached out both hands in an attempt to calm the startled hippogriffs down. “Steady, boy,” he whispered, slowly approaching the creatures once more and stroking their heads slowly. 

 

Once the hippogriffs had calmed down and resumed their grazing, Wonwoo turned to glare at Mingyu, who had straightened up and was dusting down his cloak.

 

“What are you doing here?” he hissed. If Mingyu told on him, he would definitely be in for a huge detention.

 

“I kind of followed you out of the Great Hall,” Mingyu said innocently, his head titled slightly with a grin. He sounded as if that wasn’t an act of stalking. “But damn, who knew you were good with hippogriffs?”

 

Wonwoo sighed deeply, turning back to his beloved creatures. He supposed that he couldn’t avoid Mingyu after all. “They’re easier to connect with them than real people.”

 

“Honestly, that sounds just like you,” Mingyu grinned.

 

Wonwoo continued to stroke the hippogriff at the top of its head quietly, feeling just a bit uncomfortable from Mingyu’s constant gaze on him.

 

“How are you so calm around them?” Mingyu asked. “They’re really dangerous, aren’t they?”

 

Wonwoo nodded. “Of course. But they’re easy to connect with if you understand how they think.”

 

“I don’t get along well with animals,” Mingyu admitted.

 

Wonwoo turned to stare at him in disbelief. “Really? But you look like the type of guy to love them.”

 

Mingyu shrugged. “I do love them. I’m just bad with them.”

 

Wonwoo hummed in response, and an idea came to his mind. He reached a hand out to Mingyu, who reddened a little at the gesture.

 

“Give me your hand,” Wonwoo said calmly. “I’ll help you pat him.”

 

Mingyu shook his head quickly, leaning back slightly. “I don’t think so. What if he bites me?”

 

“He probably won’t if I’m around,” Wonwoo reassured, albeit slightly smug at seeing Mingyu’s terrified side. It felt like a one up. “You saw how I was able to calm them down after you startled them.”

 

Mingyu pouted. “It was by accident.”

 

Wonwoo ignored that fact. “Bow to him first. If he bows back, then you can touch him.”

 

Mingyu hesitated. “What if he doesn’t?”

 

When Wonwoo shot him a look, Mingyu sighed before turning to look at the hippogriff and bowing as low as he could. The mythical creature stared at him for a while before bowing in return, then slowly took a few steps towards him.

 

“You did it!” Wonwoo beamed, which was a rare sight. Mingyu’s head shot up at his exclamation, and instantly flushed red upon seeing his smile.

 

“You should smile more often, really,” Mingyu confessed. “You looked really cute then.”

 

Wonwoo, suddenly aware that he was doing so, instantly switched back to a scowl. “Don’t say that.” He gestured at the waiting hippogriff with his head. “You can pat him now, you know.”

 

Mingyu carefully reached out a hand, and stroked the top of the hippogriff’s head gently. It didn’t rear back, and instead enjoyed the sensation of being pet by a new person. 

 

Wonwoo looked at them both, satisfied. “You see? It wasn’t that hard.”

 

“I probably couldn’t have done that without you.” Mingyu grinned at him happily. “Thanks, Wonwoo-hyung.”

 

Wonwoo turned away and coughed. “Um… You’re welcome.”

 

“Have you ever flown on a hippogriff?” Mingyu asked. “You must have looked really cool.”

 

“In my 3rd year, yes.” Wonwoo vaguely remembered the feeling of soaring above the trees and around the school’s turrets, the wind in his face strangely soothing. It was a good memory. “I can’t fly them without the school probably spotting me, and we’ve moved on to other creatures in class now. But I loved the feeling of flying.”

 

Mingyu lit up instantly, since it was an area that he was largely familiar with. “That’s exactly why we have broomsticks!”

 

Wonwoo scrunched his face up at that. “I’ll pass. I haven’t ridden a broomstick since 1st year when we were forced to.”

 

Mingyu gaped at him, and the pause in patting the hippogriff made it screech softly. “Since _1st year?_ But— you’re in Year 6, aren’t you? How have you even gone that long without riding one?”

 

Wonwoo sighed. “I’m not a Quidditch player like you, obviously. But I had some bad memories, I guess.”

 

Mingyu leaned in, face laced with genuine concern. “Um, if you don’t mind,” he started slowly. “Could you tell me?”

 

Wonwoo contemplated for a while. “Okay,” he agreed, though he wasn’t completely sure why. Mingyu would probably forget about it after the love potion wore off, anyway.

 

Mingyu stared at him intently, and Wonwoo averted his eyes to tell his story. “I’m a half-blood, but my brother didn’t get any magical genes, so my parents used to forbid exposing him to too much of the wizarding world. But when I was young, I took my younger brother out for a ride on a broomstick secretly without our parents knowing.”

 

“I forgot that we had didn’t have an invisibility charm on, and when we tried to swerve out of the sight of muggles, I lost control and we crashed because of me,” Wonwoo explained, his face turning graver as he spoke.

 

Mingyu noticed this. “Did you get injured?” he asked quietly.

 

Wonwoo nodded slowly. “I sprained my wrists, but it wasn’t as bad as my brother. He broke both his legs, and it’s affected him ever since. His dream is to be a soccer player, but our parents won’t let him due to that incident and they’re afraid that his legs are too fragile since he’s always been weak since young. We haven’t spoken to each other since I came to study at Hogwarts.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Mingyu said. 

 

Wonwoo sighed, turning back to the hippogriff, which was vying for his attention. “You don’t have to apologise for anything.” But he somewhat wished he hadn’t said anything; it had brought back a lot of painful memories.

 

“Is this why you don’t like to interact with people sometimes?” Mingyu asked softly, phrasing his words carefully. “Because you’re scared that they’ll get hurt?”

 

Wonwoo stared at him. Mingyu was like a key, unlocking his secrets through ways he wasn’t aware of. “How… did you know?”

 

Mingyu grinned shyly at him, resting his head on his arms which were folded on top of the fence. “I’m in love with you. Of course I know.”

 

Wonwoo didn’t know how to respond. 

 

“You don’t have to be scared about anything,” Mingyu reassured. “If anything, I’ll rewrite your bad memories so that they’re replaced with better ones.”

 

Before Wonwoo could ask him what he meant, Mingyu pulled out his wand and pointed towards the school building. “ _Accio_ broomstick!” he yelled, and in a few seconds his shiny Nimbus 2001 dove through the trees towards him, halting mid-air just beside him, waiting for him to get on.

 

The Gryffindor vaulted onto the broomstick with ease, and edged it upwards so that they were circling above the pen for what looked like a mini test drive, before he dipped down next to Wonwoo, being careful not to scare any more hippogriffs.

 

Mingyu offered his outstretched hand down to a now flustered Wonwoo. "Let's go for a ride. You can sit at the back." He patted his the wooden handle of the mid-air broomstick. 

 

"I'm not sure if I can trust someone who was drugged by a love potion..." Wonwoo trailed off, wanting to even say that he wasn’t sure if he could trust _Mingyu_ , but something in the Gryffindor's expression made him reconsider. He wasn't sure what it was, but even what used to be annoyance towards Mingyu had changed into expectation. 

 

"Okay," Wonwoo agreed. Mingyu's smile in return was the brightest he had ever seen. 

 

Grabbing on to his hand carefully, Wonwoo manoeuvred his legs strategically so that he had managed to get onto the back of the levitating broomstick without losing his balance. The broomstick dipped down a little due to the extra weight, and Wonwoo yelped a little at the sudden movement, grabbing whatever was in his reach to stabilise himself instinctively. Of course, it had to be Mingyu's robes. 

 

"Woah, hyung, it's okay," Mingyu reassured, but he didn't say anything about the quivering arms that held onto his uniform tightly. He turned back slightly to grin at Wonwoo. "You can put your arms around my waist if you'd like, though." 

 

Wonwoo realised that he was still holding on to Mingyu, and let go immediately with a frown. "I'm fine, don't worry." 

 

"If you say so," Mingyu agreed, and guided his broomstick so that they were starting to fly upwards. The hippogriffs screeched as they rose higher than the trees at first, and then almost at the same height as some of the highest turrets of the school building. Wonwoo didn't have much time to react since the Nimbus 2001 was one of the fastest brooms, after all, but as soon they were rocketing towards the sky he was yelling in utter terror, hands gripped tightly to the sleek wood of the broomstick. In order not to see the minute trees and people below him and recall his unwanted memories, Wonwoo shut his eyes and leaned against Mingyu's back. 

 

"Fun, right?" Mingyu shouted over the sound of the wind gushing in their faces, his hair messy and scuffed. Wonwoo let out a muffled "no" against his back, wondering why he had even agreed to this. It felt like Mingyu was the one controlling him, rather than vice versa because of the love potion. 

 

A sudden swerve to the right to avoid a tall turret startled Wonwoo, who had been expecting a smoother ride, and his arms came up in an unexpected reaction to hug Mingyu around the waist. He was about to release his grip after realising what he had just done, but Mingyu was surprisingly... warm, and it felt like the most comforting thing from being about 40 feet in the air. 

 

"... Hyung?" Mingyu asked, sounding extremely concerned. 

 

Wonwoo couldn't see his face, but he knew Mingyu had probably turned around to see if he was okay since what he was doing was out of the ordinary. 

 

"Just keep flying," Wonwoo said softly. 

 

"Alright," Mingyu said, voice calmer than expected.

 

The Ravenclaw peeked open his eyes before opening them completely. The wind had calmed down just a bit, and the school looked even more majestic from above, somewhat making him feel like they were residing in a castle of sorts. The feeling of flying on a broomstick was foreign after years of giving himself excuses for not picking it up again, and it was completely different from riding a hippogriff since they tended to dip and dive a lot more. However... it felt welcoming, and not like how it had been when Wonwoo decided that he was never going to ride broomsticks ever again. 

 

He sat up straighter and leaned out to get a wider view of the school, and Mingyu felt him shift since Wonwoo's arms were still tightly wrapped around his waist. 

 

"Beautiful, right?" 

 

“Yeah,” Wonwoo breathed out. “I haven’t seen this since my 1st year.”

 

Mingyu smiled widely at him. Wonwoo offered a shy smile back. Their faces were about fifteen centimetres apart.

 

Mingyu leaned in.

 

An approaching flock of birds cawed at them, and Mingyu snapped out of his daze, turning back to the front to guide the broomstick away from them. Wonwoo quickly let go of Mingyu and resorted to holding the broom for support, internally berating himself for accidentally triggering the Gryffindor for trying to make a move on him.

 

“Let’s land,” Wonwoo told him, feeling like the mood was incredibly awkward now. Or maybe it was just him, because Mingyu was going about it like nothing had happened at all. Maybe he was always like this with girls he liked?

 

“Wouldn’t it be nice to stay up here a bit more?” Mingyu asked.

 

Wonwoo shook his head even though Mingyu couldn’t see him. “We’ll be late for class.”

 

“I don’t really care about that.”

 

“But maybe I do.”

 

“Maybe I just want to spend more time with you.”

 

“But maybe I don’t…?” 

 

Wonwoo quickly sighed, reeling from his own harshness. It was a bit mean of him to say it like that. Mingyu was actually… okay, like Hansol had said, but he just didn’t want the other to keep trying to get intimate with him. After all, they would get nowhere after more 3 days. 

 

“Mingyu—” he tried to explain.

 

Mingyu turned slightly and offered a small smile. “It’s okay. I get it.”

 

It was painfully silent as they landed on the grassy clearing below. Wonwoo quickly got off, but Mingyu stayed on the broomstick. Somehow, looking at him, it seemed like he wanted to fly away and never return. 

 

“Thank you,” Wonwoo said, causing Mingyu to look at him. “This made a much better memory.”

 

“It’s nothing.” He still looked like he was going to disappear without a word. Mingyu sadly smiled at the Ravenclaw standing before him. “Although I’m sure you would have rather spent it with someone else.”

 

“That’s not true,” Wonwoo immediately cut in, feeling horrible that he had made Mingyu think that way. “I enjoyed my time with you. Really.”

 

“I’ll take your word for it,” Mingyu beamed, and for a second it looked like he was back to his puppy-like nature. “But I won’t do _that_ again, I promise.”

 

Wonwoo hesitated. “You won’t?”

 

Mingyu shook his head, making his bangs ruffle. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah,” Mingyu grinned. “I can do that much if I’m in love with you.”

 

“But you’re not actually—” Wonwoo started, but stopped himself. Why was he trying to force someone to control their own feelings when he was the one who had caused them in the first place? The least he could do was to let them savour the moment while it lasted. 

 

“Okay,” Wonwoo smiled back at him, truly genuine. Mingyu really did respect him. 

 

“Would you like to come to the Quidditch game tomorrow?” Mingyu spoke as he dismounted from his broomstick and held it up. “It’s my house against yours.”

 

Wonwoo frowned slightly at that, causing Mingyu to quickly wave his hands in defence. “Uh, I don’t have any ulterior motives, I swear!” the Gryffindor panicked. “It’s just, it would be nice—”

 

Wonwoo held up a hand, making Mingyu pause. “It’s not that. It’s just that I never ever attend Quidditch games.”

 

Mingyu let out a soft ‘oh’, and then slung an arm around Wonwoo’s shoulders casually as they walked back towards the school building. “It doesn’t matter! I’m sure you can go with Jihoon; he’s a low-key Quidditch fan.”

 

Mingyu’s arm felt warm, like when Wonwoo kept his arms around him while they were flying. It was strangely comforting. The day before, he would have pushed it off, but—

 

“I’ll think about it.”

 

Mingyu laughed anyway. “I hope that means yes.”

 

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help but smile at the ground. “Don’t get your hopes up too much.”

 

;

 

Later, when Wonwoo walked back to their dormitory with Jihoon, the shorter Ravenclaw brought up the topic of the Quidditch game, saying that Soonyoung had told him about Mingyu’s earlier invitation to the match.

 

“I said _maybe,_ ” Wonwoo reasoned. “It doesn’t mean I’m going to go.”

 

Jihoon raised an eyebrow, and smirked up at Wonwoo. “Even though you gave him such an ambiguous answer, I’m pretty sure you’re going to go anyway.”

 

Wonwoo turned away, his cheeks feeling warm at Jihoon calling him out. 

 

“I just think… I might be looking forward to it for once,” Wonwoo explained.


	2. dul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why am i posting this on christmas eve when i should be with my relatives ?? idk but enjoy my tragic writing
> 
> also you can tell im got7 trash but it's too late at this point :')

_IV._

 

“I knew you would go,” Jihoon said in a smug voice to Wonwoo as they walked over to the Quidditch stands, as if he had one-upped the other Ravenclaw. Wonwoo took in the Quidditch stadium with wide eyes; he hadn’t been here in a long time, since 1st year when he’d attending the first ever match for the year and realised that he’d much rather have spent it indoors, reading.

 

“What are you so smug about?” Wonwoo deadpanned. 

 

“Nothing much,” Jihoon said in a somewhat sing-song voice, which sounded extremely sarcastic. “I just thought that maybe Mingyu was getting across to you somehow.”

 

Wonwoo raised an eyebrow at that. It seemed like everyone was teasing him over the love potion fiasco and how two people of polar opposites could be matched together by coincidence. Jihoon in particular, since he and Mingyu were childhood friends.

 

“Well… I guess he’s okay.”

 

“Two days ago, you looked like you were about to curse his whole bloodline.”

 

Wonwoo shrugged. “I hung out with him for a while yesterday, and he’s nicer than I thought.”

 

“Is that so?” Jihoon said in the same smug tone.

 

Wonwoo was about to ask just what was so interesting about his newly found friendship (of sorts) with Mingyu when Chan ran up to them like a tiny, eager puppy from the Gryffindor players’ tent that they happened to walk past. It served as their waiting room before the match started.

 

“Hi, hyungs!” he greeted.

 

“Good luck, Chan,” Jihoon wished with a smile.

 

“Good luck,” Wonwoo repeated, ruffling the younger’s hair. “Don’t get injured out on the pitch.”

 

Chan huffed, feeling like he was being treated like a toddler about to tread into a minefield. “Have more faith in me, hyung! I’ve been doing this for a year now,” he whined, but quickly brightened up. “But wow— you actually came for once! Mingyu-hyung was just telling me about how he’s worried you wouldn’t show up, but I’ll definitely do my best to show you how much I’ve trained!”

 

“Well, I bet he’s going to be really happy since Wonwoo came,” Jihoon said. 

 

“Please stop teasing me,” Wonwoo said.

 

Chan had run back to the waiting room, and emerged from it once again with Mingyu in tow this time. The older Gryffindor’s face expressed nothing but pure joy, and he just smiled wider when he made eye contact with Wonwoo. The Ravenclaw wasn’t sure how Quidditch worked in detail, but wouldn’t Seungcheol, the captain of the Gryffindor team, be incredibly frustrated at how they weren’t paying attention to last minute tactics?

 

“Shouldn’t you be preparing for the match instead of running in and out?” Wonwoo voiced out.

 

“We’ll be fine,” Mingyu assured. “But you actually came!”

 

“I thought I should just support you for once, since you did help me with my bad past yesterday,” Wonwoo explained. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jihoon pulling Chan aside to continue their conversation in order to ‘not disturb the lovebirds’. Wonwoo swore, he was going to spike Jihoon’s drink one day, but with poison instead. 

 

“I’ll definitely be playing my best with you watching me,” Mingyu said confidently. 

 

Wonwoo nudged him with his shoulder, rolling his eyes. “We’ll see if you win. My house is strong.”

 

“I’m sure we will,” Mingyu beamed, but his expression morphed into what looked like a mix of nervousness and uncertainty. Where did his confidence go, Wonwoo wondered. 

 

“Wonwoo-hyung, let’s have a bet.”

 

Oh, so that was what it was about. 

 

“What kind of bet?” Wonwoo asked. “I’m kind of broke from my Hogsmeade trip last weekend, so…”

 

Mingyu shook his head. “It’s not like that.”

 

Wonwoo’s curiosity was piqued now. “Then, what?”

 

Mingyu took a deep breath. “If Gryffindor wins, I get to go to the meteor shower event that the Astronomy department is holding with you tomorrow.” he paused. “As a date,” Mingyu bravely added on.

 

Wonwoo wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that. “What meteor shower?” he asked, since he didn’t take Astronomy anymore. That sounded far more interesting than staying in his dormitory to do homework all night.

 

“Chan reminded me that the Astronomy teachers are holding an event for a meteor shower that’s happening tomorrow. His class happens to be helping out as well, which is why he’s trying to convince everybody to come and watch,” Mingyu explained.

 

“Oh,” Wonwoo said, eyes bright. “I’ve never seen a meteor shower before; it sounds fun.”

 

Mingyu looked down at him intently. “So… is that a yes to our bet?”

 

“… Okay,” Wonwoo agreed, but hastily added on so that Mingyu didn’t get any other ideas. “But it’s not a date.” 

 

Tomorrow was going to be the last day that Mingyu was affected by the love potion, and probably the last day they would speak to each other since they would have absolutely no reason to afterwards. Mingyu would probably forget some of the events that happened, like Professor Minerva had mentioned. In other words, Wonwoo had nothing to lose. He might as well make it the best few days for Mingyu in exchange for the Gryffindor always looking out for him tirelessly.

 

“Okay,” Mingyu agreed too, looking like he was already happy enough since Wonwoo had agreed to the bet, and forgetting about the section about the date.

 

“Good luck then,” Wonwoo wished, and absentmindedly ruffled Mingyu’s hair like he had done with Chan.

 

Mingyu’s face turned even more flushed, or maybe it was just the sun. “We’ll definitely win!” he promised.

 

“No pressure,” Wonwoo offered, before waving as he walked off with Jihoon to find a seat at the Ravenclaw spectator stand.

 

“He likes you.”

 

“It’s the love potion,” Wonwoo said, tired of repeating himself.

 

Both of them climbed the stairs up to the spectator stands, which were elevated at high vantage points. Wonwoo noticed that some of the students had even brought binoculars for better focus, and mentally applauded their dedication. Jihoon quickly beckoned him towards the benches in the front row, and they managed to squeeze into one of the few remaining front seats.

 

“We got a really good view,” Jihoon said to him. “It’s near our goal, where most of the really intense action happens.”

 

"You didn't bring binoculars?" Wonwoo said, somewhat expecting Jihoon to have been a more hardcore fan.

 

Jihoon ‘tsk’-ed at him. “I’m a low-key fan, remember?”

 

Wonwoo stood up along with the other Ravenclaw when hundreds of students began to cheer as the Quidditch players from both teams strode out onto the field. His eyes instinctively roamed towards Gryffindor, where Mingyu, Chan and Seungcheol stood beside each other. They seemed like completely different people, looking incredibly serious and focusing their steely gazes on the opposing team.

 

Mingyu actually looked … kind of _cool_ , Wonwoo supposed.

 

Madam Hooch, the Quidditch referee, signalled for both of the team captains to shake hands. Seungcheol and Jaebum, the Ravenclaw captain, did so quickly.

 

“Mount your brooms,” she announced. Wonwoo found himself leaning off the edge of his seat. 

 

“Three… two… one…” Madam Hooch blew into her whistle, and the Quidditch players all kicked off into the air, taking their positions. Chan and Youngjae, both seekers, rose higher than the others, scanning the field for a flash of gold that was the elusive Snitch.

 

“Ravenclaw’s captain Jaebum-hyung is in possession of the Quaffle first, with an angry Seungcheol-hyung chasing after him from behind…” Seungkwan and Seokmin were the Quidditch emcees, and it was a well known fact that they liked to tease stringent prefect Seungcheol rather than actually commentate.

 

“Will his rage be able to catch up with Jaebum-hyung’s swift Firebolt?” Seokmin guffawed.

 

There was a series of laughter before a muffled voice that sounded very much like Professor McGonagall’s yelled at them to be serious. Wonwoo decided to rely on himself to understand the match.

 

Zooming towards the goal, Jaebum tossed the Quaffle to Mark, another Ravenclaw Chaser. The latter dived in order to avoid a strategic hit of a Bludger from Gryffindor Beater Jackson that was flying right towards him, missing the Quaffle.

 

At that moment, Mingyu swept in and grabbed it, instantly zooming across the field to the other goal. His swift actions caused an uproar from the Gryffindor stands, where they were cheering and screaming for him to score first.

 

Wonwoo’s eyes trailed after him, before realising that it must have been weird to keep watching the opposing house. Shouldn’t he be focusing on Jaebum and the others?

 

Wonwoo tried his best to follow his own house’s team, but somehow he always went back to looking at the Gryffindor, who had an incredible amount of presence on the field. Not like he wasn’t notable anywhere else, but the way Mingyu carried himself during a competition was too prominent to ignore. 

 

Engrossed in the match, Wonwoo momentarily forgot about the minute details about who he should be focusing on. It was only when Mingyu’s took a shot at Ravenclaw’s goal and was stopped by one of their chasers that Wonwoo actually groaned out loud, before realising that he was actually rooting for Gryffindor all along.

 

The score was now 120 to 90 with Ravenclaw leading, and Wonwoo was feeling slightly panicky that they would score so much that even catching the Snitch wouldn’t get Gryffindor a win. He was a hypocrite to his own house, but somehow that didn’t matter at all to him.

 

The focus of the match now was mainly on Chan and the Ravenclaw seeker called Youngjae, who had been racing neck and neck for the Snitch for the past few minutes. It had been darting back and forth across the stadium, out of reach, while the two seekers chased after it to no avail.

 

At that moment, the Snitch made a particularly sharp turn in the opposite direction, causing Youngjae to almost fall of his broom when he continued to chase after it and hindering his advance in order to regain his balance. Chan did the same, but managed to cling on to his broom, curving back up while hanging on on his side. Fumbling a little, Chan still managed to reach out, closing his fingers around the small golden ball before swerving up again to balance himself once more.

 

The stadium erupted into cheers at Gryffindor’s win, and Wonwoo watched from the stands as their team landed and did a group hug. He smiled though they couldn’t see it, feeling proud of his dongsaengs. 

 

Distracted by the disappointed yet encouraging cheering from his Ravenclaw side, coupled with the thunderous roars of happiness from the Gryffindor stands, Wonwoo got lost in the crowd from Jihoon, who had wandered off to check on the teams, he supposed. The dark haired Ravenclaw followed the throngs of people who were all heading down the stairs from the stands mindlessly.

 

Still slightly muddled at the fact that Gryffindor had won, Wonwoo wasn’t sure if he was just stunned by his first Quidditch game in years, or the fact that he and Mingyu were going to—

 

“Wonwoo,” called a familiar yet somewhat distant voice.

 

He turned around in an attempt to search for the person who was talking to him, bumping into people who were leaving the stadium. Wonwoo made eye contact with a girl with long blonde hair tied into two soft braids. It was Lisa, and she approached him with a smile. With the strange turn of events that had been happening so far, it was almost like he'd forgotten her for a fleeting moment. But that didn't matter; Wonwoo still felt his heart skip a beat when she came closer. 

 

"Hi," Wonwoo greeted, unsure as to why she would have approached him after the Quidditch match. She was clad in their unofficial cheerleading attire, a bright red and gold, and she looked sweaty from having cheered her hardest and being in the sun. Shouldn't she be celebrating with her house? 

 

"That was a good match," Wonwoo offered, though he hadn't seen many. 

 

Lisa nodded, both of them walking to the side of the path so that they didn't block the way. "Seungcheol and the team worked really hard for it."

 

Wonwoo smiled, thinking of Mingyu's undying enthusiasm. "Yeah, I know."

 

"So," Lisa said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "The Astronomy department is holding a meteor shower viewing tomorrow night, and I thought maybe we could go together if you'd like."

 

Wonwoo stared at her, wide eyed. 

 

"You've always been very nice to me, so I was thinking of asking you to go," Lisa explained. "And you came for the match today although I heard that you don't usually attend Quidditch games, so I thought there must have been some sort of connection between us." she smiled. 

 

Wonwoo felt like his lips had been glued together with a mixture of having the talent to be socially inept as well as feeling awkward about 90% of the time. “Oh.”

 

Lisa looked at him expectantly. Wonwoo thought it was strange: his crush had just asked him out, but it felt strangely underwhelming. Even so, he was going to agree. Mingyu would understand his situation, wouldn’t he? 

 

An image of Mingyu, brightly smiling at him with fond eyes, was conjured in his mind, but it slowly dissipated and was replaced by the sight Wonwoo had seen with an uneasy heart the day before. Mingyu, sat on his broomstick, offering him the saddest smile he had ever witnessed, looking like he was about to disappear if it meant Wonwoo well.

 

_‘It’s okay, hyung.’_ Wonwoo could almost hear his voice. _‘Go with her. You’ve been waiting for this moment, haven’t you?’_

 

“No,” Wonwoo responded before his brain could catch up with his heart. Lisa looked utterly taken aback.

 

“I’m sorry.” Wonwoo scratched the back of his neck, looking at her straight in the eyes so that she knew he meant it. “I’ve already promised someone else that I’d go with them.”

 

Lisa seemed like she couldn’t believe that Wonwoo was turning her down. She looked gravely disappointed. In a much softer voice, she asked, “Does that promise mean a lot to you?”

 

Wonwoo nodded. “The last thing I want to do is to break it.”

 

Lisa hesitated for a moment before nodding too. “Okay, I understand,” she said before turning to walk off. 

 

Wonwoo looked at her retreating figure for a short while, wondering if he had made the right decision. Lisa seemed like she had really wanted to go with him, after all. But somehow, Wonwoo couldn’t imagine himself watching the meteor shower without Mingyu, who had managed to become such an important part of his life in two short days.

 

The Ravenclaw turned to return to his dormitory, only to see Mingyu staring at him from a few metres away, his broomstick in hand and an indescribable expression on his face. Wonwoo walked towards him, closing up the gap quickly. 

 

“You were really good out there,” Wonwoo said as soon as they were closer. 

 

“Is she your real crush?” Mingyu asked, completely bypassing what Wonwoo had just said. “Lisa, I mean.”

 

Wonwoo nodded slowly, feeling like he was being interrogated. “Yeah, I guess…?”

 

“What were you talking about?” Mingyu continued. 

 

Wonwoo was tempted to lie in case the Gryffindor got jealous or something possibly much worse (he wasn’t so sure about the love potion anymore), but he decided to just tell the truth. It might have been worse if Mingyu found out about it later on and threw a fit in the middle of the Great Hall.

 

“She asked me out to the meteor shower viewing,” Wonwoo explained, and Mingyu visibly froze. 

 

“—but I turned her down,” Wonwoo finished. Mingyu instantly perked up at that, eyes wide.

 

“ _You did?_ ”

 

Wonwoo shrugged. “I promised I’d go with you if your team won, and— _oof_!”

 

He was cut off halfway by Mingyu, who had pulled him in for an unexpected tight hug, throwing his broomstick to the side. The Gryffindor was warm as usual, but even more so since they were having a large area of body contact. Despite the glaring sun, it was comforting, comforting enough for Wonwoo to block out the fact that a few people were staring, when he would have usually pushed Mingyu away immediately.

 

“Mingyu,” Wonwoo protested a little, but his voice came out muffled. “I can’t breathe.”

 

“Hyung, thank you!” Mingyu exclaimed, voice trembling with happiness. He pulled back slightly so Wonwoo had some space, but they were still pressed against one another.

 

“For what? All I did was keep a promise,” Wonwoo said with a smile.

 

“It’s the most important promise I’ve ever made with someone,” Mingyu admitted. “I’m honestly so glad you didn’t forget it.”

 

Wonwoo looked up at him. “I wouldn’t have.”

 

Then, as if he was overcome with something, Mingyu pushed Wonwoo away, releasing his tight embrace. Wonwoo watched as the Gryffindor picked up his broomstick, feeling slightly strange in the stomach. Had he eaten something weird earlier?

 

“Sorry, hyung,” Mingyu apologised, and Wonwoo raised an eyebrow because _what for?_ Mingyu hadn’t done anything. “I shouldn’t have hugged you. I’d promised I wouldn’t do anything that you didn’t want me to.”

 

Wonwoo waved his hands quickly. “No, I mean—”

 

Mingyu turned to grin back at him. “Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow at the top of the Astronomy tower at night!” And just like that, he was walking away.

 

“Wait!” Wonwoo called out without thinking. “I never said you couldn’t—?” 

 

He stopped himself. _What_ was he going to say? 

 

“There you are!” Jihoon ran up to him, derailing his train of thoughts. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Sorry we separated; I wanted to encourage Jaebum and his team.”

 

Wonwoo blinked down at him. “It’s okay.” He felt numb, and his face hot. 

 

Jihoon squinted up at him. “Are you sure? You look like you’re out of it.”

 

The weird feeling in his stomach came back, this time stronger as he stared after Mingyu, who was now a gold and red speck in the distance.

 

“Actually,” Wonwoo said quietly. “I’m not sure.”

 

It wasn't the food.

 

 

_V._

 

 

“So I heard about your date with Mingyu later today at the meteor shower viewing,” Hansol teased as both of them were walking to their classes.

 

Wonwoo gave him a look. “It’s _not_ a date. And who told you?”

 

“Chan,” Hansol replied simply.

 

Wonwoo sighed. “Mingyu must have told him or something.”

 

Speaking of the tall Gryffindor, Wonwoo hadn’t seen him around anywhere ever since the Quidditch match the day before, not even at breakfast. He felt strangely disappointed since he’d thought Mingyu would try to be around him for their last day together. Wonwoo wondered if it was because of the hugging incident the day before, and internally berated himself for not clearing it up with Mingyu.

 

He hoped to see the Gryffindor at lunch at least, but was once again disappointed when he’d scanned the whole table and didn’t find a familiar grinning face. Jihoon teased him once again about having become reliant on Mingyu, and Wonwoo simply glared at him, but he did wonder why he was thinking about Mingyu so much.

 

In the end, he wasn’t able to see Mingyu at all, and Wonwoo wondered if Mingyu was playing him out. He climbed the stairs to the top of the Astronomy Tower when it was almost time for the meteor shower, hoping that he wasn’t too late. Chan had told him to go earlier even though it was at eleven, but Wonwoo had been caught up with homework after attending the Quidditch match the day before.

 

When he’d pushed open the doors to the top floor, the first thing Wonwoo saw was groups (mostly pairs) of people huddled together under blankets and on top of picnic mats with food, getting ready for the meteor shower together. He spotted Jeonghan and Jisoo cuddling in a corner, and Junhui and Minghao having what looked like a mini food fight at the front.

 

Well… no one had told him to bring food, or blankets. Looks like he would be starving on the cold floor.

 

A tap on Wonwoo’s shoulder startled him, and he turned around to be greeted with Mingyu, who had his usual blinding smile on his face. He had a couple of blankets in one hand, and what looked like a bag of food in the other. Thank god for Mingyu.

 

“Cheeseburgers,” Wonwoo said in surprise when he realised what Mingyu had in his bag, then realised that that probably wasn’t the first thing he should have said when he first approached the Gryffindor.

 

“Your favourite, right?” Mingyu beamed. “I got some from the Great Hall.”

 

“You remembered,” Wonwoo said with a small smile, but it quickly faded. “But I didn’t see you at all today, not even during meal time.”

 

Mingyu shrugged. “I had early morning Quidditch practice today for the match against Slytherin next week, and I had lunch in the common room.” He looked regretful. “Sorry, did you want to talk to me?”

 

“Oh.” Wonwoo felt dumb now for thinking that Mingyu had been avoiding him because of the hug. It felt like he was overly attached to the taller boy just because he had been hanging out with him for the past few days. 

 

“It just felt weird without you,” Wonwoo said honestly.

 

Mingyu smiled softly down at him. “I missed you too.”

 

Wonwoo supposed it meant the same thing. Mingyu laid out the picnic mat in a corner at the back and sat down, patting the empty space as a gesture for Wonwoo to sit down.

 

The Ravenclaw complied, and reached into the bag to grab a cheeseburger as Mingyu spread the blankets he brought over them. Since the picnic mat was small to sit on, Wonwoo’s arm was touching Mingyu’s and he instantly felt Mingyu’s body heat radiate onto him. It was comfortable, and Wonwoo sunk deeper under the blankets.

 

“Comfortable?” Mingyu asked.

 

Wonwoo nodded, unwrapping the cheeseburger and taking a bite. "Thank you." 

 

It was dark out, especially since it was already eleven, but Wonwoo knew Mingyu was smiling. "I'm like a real boyfriend, aren't I?" 

 

Wondering if Mingyu was always this nice to all the girls that swooned over him, Wonwoo was overcame with a sour feeling inside, though he wasn't sure why. It was dark, and Wonwoo was sure Mingyu wouldn't see him anyway, but he nodded slowly. 

 

"Hyung..." Mingyu began to say, but was cut off by shouts in awe as the meteor shower began. Wonwoo turned his attention to the falling meteors instinctively, and he felt Mingyu do so as well.

 

Both of them watched the streaks of light in silenced awe amidst the excited yelling and pointing, as if they were stuck in a tableau. Wonwoo continued to eat like the very unromantic guy that he was, and he felt Mingyu reach to grab a burger for himself. 

 

Wonwoo swallowed, then turned to look at Mingyu, whose face was illuminated by the bright meteors streaking across the dark sky. “It’s beautiful," he said. 

 

Mingyu looked to him, and the shadows on his face shifted along. The first thing that came to Wonwoo's head was that he was really handsome after all, which was quickly replaced with a _what the hell am I thinking._

 

"You're more beautiful," Mingyu said suavely, his smile seeming shy now. 

 

Wonwoo didn't know what overcame him, might it have been the atmosphere or the mood, but he felt warm blood rush to his cheeks instantly at the compliment. 

 

Kim Mingyu had just made him blush. 

 

Wonwoo turned away quickly and tried his best to hide under the covers, praying to every single god out there that Mingyu couldn't see his rosy cheeks. If he did, then maybe he would have been denser to assume that it was the cold weather. 

 

"So..." Mingyu's voice was soft, but Wonwoo was especially aware of him despite the others who were noisy. He didn't know why. "Is this my last day under the love potion?" He sounded as if he didn't want it to be so.

 

Wonwoo would have been brimming with joy if he still felt the way he did on the first day, but... 

 

"It is," Wonwoo replied, equally silent. 

 

...He was feeling slightly regretful. Looking back, Mingyu was actually a joy to be with, and he opened up his small world to the beautiful outside with countless possibilities. In simpler terms, Mingyu had made him happier, like he had playfully promised to do at Professor McGonagall's desk on the first day. 

 

"It doesn't matter that the potion will wear off," Mingyu said in such a firm and convincing tone that Wonwoo just _had_ to turn to look at him. "I'll remember everything we did together, hyung. You made these 4 days the best moments at Hogwarts."

 

Days ago, Wonwoo had found 4 days to be a gruesomely long time. Why did it seem so fleeting now? How had it been when they'd first talked? Was it as calming as Wonwoo felt they were right now? 

 

He felt determined to find out why. 

 

"You probably won't remember everything," Wonwoo said, recalling what Professor McGonagall had told them in the staffroom. "Just a few memories, I guess. The most important ones." 

 

Somehow, saying that gave his own heart an aching feeling. Why? Did Mingyu feel that way too? Wasn't Wonwoo so desperate to get rid of Mingyu, with the way the puppy-like Gryffindor threw his entire world off kilter and shook him out of his own comfort zone? Wonwoo looked at his lap, where his half-eaten cheeseburger sat. 

 

Tomorrow, how different would it feel to not have Mingyu be around him anymore? 

 

Strangely, Wonwoo didn't want to experience a world like that. He really didn't. 

 

Mingyu remained silent for so long, Wonwoo had to look up at him. Had he said something wrong? Reminded Mingyu that his feelings were just a fleeting sensation? 

 

But Mingyu was smiling at him quietly, his now endearing canines peeking out as well. Behind his eyes seemed to swim an unsaid message that he was holding back, but was desperate to convey. He looked like the epitome of bittersweet. 

 

Mingyu had bottled up his feelings in the past few days for so long, and all for Wonwoo's sake, but the Ravenclaw wasn't going to be so selfish anymore. 

 

Wonwoo wanted to know what he was hiding. 

 

"But hyung," Mingyu said in a tone that made Wonwoo's heart lurch. "Every memory spent with you is just as important." His grin grew wider before he turned his attention back to the still falling meteors. Mingyu was undoubtedly still thinking of Wonwoo. 

 

"So I guess I'll remember everything." 

 

A raucous series of yelling occured as the meteor shower hit its peak, with the streaks of light growing brighter and brighter, and the comets falling faster and faster. It illuminated not only Mingyu's face, which was cast like a perfect masterpiece, but Wonwoo's heart as well, who was now staring at Mingyu with not worry regarding his silence, but understatement. It now made sense as to why he cared so much for Mingyu all of a sudden. 

 

Mingyu turned back to the spectacle in the sky before Wonwoo could say anything, an incredibly melancholy smile on his face. Wonwoo's heart felt heavier. 

 

"But it's okay, hyung." He turned back to Wonwoo and grinned, his eyes smiling as well. "I'll forget everything if that's what you want." 

 

Just as quickly as two meteors bumped into one another, creating an explosion of sparks midair, Wonwoo realised he had already fallen for Mingyu.

 

He was in love with Mingyu, the goofy, puppy-like Gryffindor with undying passion for Quidditch, but also, feelings for Wonwoo that he just couldn't express in fear of hurting the one that he loved. 

 

Wonwoo had to change that before the night was over. 

 

He needed Mingyu to know that he— _too_ —felt the same way. Mingyu had always tried to reached out to him but pulled back at the last minute, and Wonwoo had to be the one to take Mingyu's hand instead. 

 

There was no other way. 

 

As a particularly huge meteor off course smashed into another, as the sparks that flew off resembled an ensemble of fireworks, and as the yelling in the background increase its volume—

 

Wonwoo grabbed Mingyu by his sweater and pulled him closer, colliding into him roughly through their lips. 

 

It was impulsive, Wonwoo had to admit, and it was probably the roughest and messiest first kiss anybody could possibly experience, but it felt right. 

 

Mingyu had frozen from the unexpected action, but quickly pushed Wonwoo away from him, who was still stuck in his newly found sense of realisation. Reaching a hand up to touch his lips, Mingyu stared back at Wonwoo with an unreadable expression, before he broke out in a smile. This time, however, it looked more forced. Something was still hidden in his eyes. 

 

Mingyu let out an astonished laugh with a shaky voice. "Hyung... why did you do that?" 

 

"Why did I—?” Wonwoo blinked at him. Wasn't it quite obvious why? "I lik—“ 

 

Mingyu cut him off. "Was that your first kiss?" 

 

"Uh... yeah?" Wonwoo felt shy, but he didn't understand why Mingyu was interrogating him about it. 

 

Mingyu let out what sounded like an exasperated noise of sorts. "Then why did you kiss me? Shouldn't you have saved it for Lisa?"

 

"Lisa?" Wonwoo squinted at him, not understanding what he was driving at. He had completely forgotten about her, anyway. 

 

"Your crush?" Mingyu reminded teasingly, then grinned. "Come on, don't tell me you don't know who I'm talking about!" 

 

Wonwoo just stared, not understanding why Mingyu was pushing him away like this. “I mean… I know her," he replied skeptically. 

 

"Of course you do," Mingyu said, patting his shoulder. He looked down at Wonwoo and beamed. He seemed brighter than any shooting star in the sky. 

 

"I'm pretty close with Lisa, being on the Gryffindor team and all. I could be your wingman if you want me to," Mingyu offered. "I'm sure she likes you too, though." 

 

Wonwoo pulled away from him, scrunching up his face in confusion. "I never said I want you to be my wingman," he protested quietly, trying to figure out exactly what Mingyu was driving at. "What are you—“

 

His voice drifted off as Mingyu turned back to admire the last of the meteors, and Wonwoo looked down at his lap with a heavy feeling in his heart. Their little moment had been ruined, and it had all been because Mingyu had assumed that he still liked Lisa. That must have been it— Wonwoo just needed to confess for real, and tell Mingyu that he had fallen for him, and everything would turn out fine. 

 

The sky turned dark as the meteors disappeared slowly, and everybody around them began to pack up and leave for their dormitories. Mingyu didn't budge, still gazing upwards, and Wonwoo didn't move either. 

 

"You know, hyung." 

 

Wonwoo looked at Mingyu. A bittersweet smile rested on his lips. 

 

"You shouldn't have kissed me even if it was a joke," Mingyu told him, trying to play it off as if it were nothing. "Maybe I'd be able to forget about you more easily if you didn't do that." 

 

Triggering his tears, Wonwoo felt his eyelids grow heavy at Mingyu's words. So, he had still been thinking about Wonwoo's interests all along, but Wonwoo would never have kissed someone just for the fun of it. Still, how could a person like somebody so much that they were willing to sacrifice everything for them? 

 

Wonwoo stood up, facing the doors. 

 

"Hyung?" 

 

If that was what Mingyu wanted, he would give it to him. 

 

"I love you, you know," Wonwoo said, voice almost as shaky as his heart. It sounded casual, but every syllable expressed his newfound yet genuine feelings for the boy sitting next to him. 

 

“Wonwoo—" Mingyu sounded as if he was tired of his jokes. 

 

Wonwoo didn't turn back. He didn't think he could handle it if he saw Mingyu's expression right then. "But if you want to forget about everything we did together, then go ahead." 

 

He bolted for the door, cheeseburger strewn on the floor by the blankets. 

 

"Wonwoo-hyung!" came Mingyu's immediate response, and the shuffling sound of him trying to get up as quickly as possible ensured. 

 

“You’ll do it for me, right?” Wonwoo said in an equally bittersweet voice, then squeezed through the leaving crowd and disappeared down the nearest corridor to his dormitory, leaving Mingyu by himself at the top of the Astronomy tower to sort out his feelings. 

 

But despite what he had said, Wonwoo was terrified that Mingyu would forget the moments they spent together. Now, he would have liked to believe that Mingyu's feelings for him for real, and that he meant every word he had said to him. Wonwoo regretted not utilising their past few days together well, rubbing at his eyes before he entered his dormitory so that no one would suspect anything. 

 

Secretly, he hoped Mingyu wouldn't forget. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_VI._

 

 

But he did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> should i include a deleted scenes chapter at the end of the story.
> 
> ps: i'm incredibly stressed over how there aren't many junhao moments lately and they're my 2nd otp so i'm practically pure salt at this point


	3. set.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wonwoo is as depressed as i was when he got sick during aju nice era. mingyu just wishes he could remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgivE ME for the late update and blame school lol. being 16 is not easy when everyone pushes you to study. hope you like the final chapter anyway!

_VI. (con’t.)_

 

Wonwoo woke up with swollen eyes, messy hair, and a broken heart that he knew he would probably never get over for months. It didn’t even occur to him that he had gotten over Lisa, when all he really wanted to do was to cry his tear ducts dry into his pillows for the rest of the day. It was logically impossible for him to be in the mood to want to go to class, or even leave his dormitory for that matter, but he decided to get up anyway.

 

He’d show that stupid Gryffindor that he could carry on his days without him. If Mingyu could forget him, surely he could do the same too.

 

Still… some flames of hope continued to kindle in the midst of Wonwoo’s heart. It could be possible that… just _maybe,_ Mingyu was able to recall what happened between them by some miracle. The idea that the Gryffindor was no longer infatuated with him stung the back of his mind as he got dressed, but Wonwoo tried not to overthink.

 

He trudged along the hallways that, for some reason, seemed endless now with Hansol and Jihoon, the three of them heading for breakfast. Both of them had realised the obvious change in his demeanour and character, but simply exchanged concerned looks and didn’t probe further.

 

Like it was a routine, Wonwoo glanced over at the Gryffindor table once he entered the Great Hall only to spot no sight of Mingyu, and he felt his stomach twist uncomfortably. The Ravenclaw swallowed thickly, and took a seat next to his friends, but the only thing he could eat without feeling like throwing up was a glass of milk. He kept going back to think about Mingyu, and even though he tried his hardest not to, it was like everything around him reminded him of the times he spent together with the younger boy.

 

“You don’t look so good, hyung,” Hansol raised his voice, staring over at Wonwoo with worry.

 

Said Ravenclaw pushed his plate aside and shook his head. “I’m okay.”

 

Jihoon caught on immediately, focusing his sharp eyes on him. “It’s Mingyu, isn’t it? The potion’s worn off and that’s why you’ve been moping around the whole morning.”

 

Wonwoo decided that there was no point in lying. “You’re right.”

 

“I knew you were attached to him,” Jihoon said smugly and sat back in his seat looking like a satisfied cat. 

 

Hansol let out a knowing _‘ohh’,_ and rested his head in his palm. “It’s not that bad, right? I’m sure you can make friends with him again!”

 

Wonwoo smiled at the floor bitterly, and he couldn’t bring himself to raise his head any higher. _Friends…_ if only he felt that way about Mingyu, and had enough self control to stop himself from falling for the tall boy in the first place. 

 

Jihoon scrutinised him for a while longer before his eyes widened and realisation hit him hard. 

 

“You…” he paused like he was trying to grab the right words from the air. _“…like_ him, don’t you?”

 

Wonwoo choked upon hearing those sudden words and instantly felt tears swell up in his eyes, but blinked them back hard. Without a single word, he stood up from his seat and escaped from the Great Hall, trying to block out his friends’ shouts after him.

 

The only place he could think of going to to calm down was the hippogriff pen, and he didn’t stop running until he reached his safe spot. Wonwoo leaned against the fence as he panted to catch his breath, and lowered his head until it was hitting the hard varnished wood. If only it were the same circumstances three days ago when he had come here to feed the hippogriffs.

 

Except now, there was no Mingyu running after him with a puppy-like grin on his face, ever ready to sweep Wonwoo off his feet and rewrite his bad memories with a ride on a broomstick.

 

;

 

Wonwoo slunk into his seat next to Junhui just minutes before the lesson started, much unlike his usual behaviour. He had always been at least ten minutes earlier than his desk mate, but apparently today was going to be an exception.

 

“Did he forget?” was the first thing that Junhui asked him.

 

“What?" Wonwoo asked, looking at his childhood friend dumbly. After the events of the previous night, his brain had seemed to go on a lockdown, only being able to think about Kim Mingyu and such.

 

“Did Mingyu forget? After the potion wore off,” Junhui explained. 

 

Wonwoo frowned instantly upon hearing that. He really didn’t want news of his love potion dilemma to spread around the whole school, especially to all his friends who would think that he was more of an idiot than he seemed to be.

 

“Jihoon told you?” He asked quietly.

 

Junhui shrugged, leaning back into his seat. “Indirectly. He told Soonyoung, who told me. But that's besides the point. Did he forget?”

 

Wonwoo wanted to curl up and mourn in a corner of his room, wishing that he was the one who had forgotten everything. It was easier to handle forgetting something than being forgotten. 

 

“I don't know. I haven't heard anything from him. I didn't even see him in the Great Hall during breakfast, so maybe he's avoiding me.” Wonwoo tried not to get even more depressed than he already was. If there was one thing that he was good at, it would be overthinking.

 

Junhui grinned at him obliviously. “But you must be glad! Soonyoung said you were at his throat all the time for sticking around you.”

 

"Yeah, I guess,” Wonwoo lied. 

 

“You don't sound very happy,” Junhui noticed and pointed out, albeit a little cautiously. 

 

“He just—” Wonwoo fumbled for the right words. “…left a very big impression on me.” 

 

The Slytherin’s grin returned. “Oh, I'll bet. Both of you are like opposites, it's a wonder you managed to survive 4 days with him without actually using the Killing Curse on him.” 

 

Wonwoo didn’t reply after that, wondering if getting rid of Mingyu in the first place would have been a much better decision than to put up with him in the first place, since it was already causing him this much heartbreak. 

 

It would have been great if forgetting Mingyu was an easy task.

 

_(It was the first time that he failed his Charms quiz, too.)_

 

;

 

Lunch was not a priority of Wonwoo’s today, even though they were serving his favourite cheeseburgers. He contemplating moping in the Ravenclaw dormitories for the whole lunch period, but was convinced by Hansol to head down and at least grab a bite or two. Wonwoo was thankful that the younger Ravenclaw didn’t ask any more questions about his obvious depression, and Wonwoo supposed he was right, since getting gastritis would be a terrible addition to his already withering mess of a life.

 

What he didn’t expect was a flurry of red and gold barrelled into him the moment he entered the doors to the Great Hall.

 

“Hyung! You're finally here!” Chan exclaimed, looking like a mixture of apprehension and relief.

 

“What's wrong?” Wonwoo smiled the best he could muster.

 

“I’ve been looking for you all day! Mingyu-hyung’s gotten over the love potion already, but he doesn't remember a thing! I filled him in on all the details,” Chan explained.

 

Wonwoo’s stomach felt heavy, like it was filled with rocks of desperation that were dragging him down.

 

“He doesn't remember _anything?_ " Wonwoo asked carefully, just to make sure.

 

Chan shook his head, making his curls bounce. “Apparently not. He's been holed up in his room all day, whining about how his memory is so hazy. I think he's especially pissed that he can't even recall our victory over Ravenclaw, but I've been like his waiter all day, bringing food back to the dorm for him."

 

“Oh,” was the only thing the heartbroken Ravenclaw could muster out.

 

Chan smiled sadly up at him, probably knowing that there was an unspoken distance between both of them. “Don’t be too sad, hyung. I'm sure he'll talk to you about it eventually.”

 

“I'm not sad,” Wonwoo persisted, but even his voice sounded weak to himself.

 

Chan patted his shoulder and sighed. “You're almost as obvious as the time Soonyoung-hyung stole Minghao-hyung’s cat and pretended it wasn't clawing him from under his robes. You were so much happier yesterday, and now after Mingyu-hyung forgot, you just look so depressed.”

 

Wonwoo didn’t know how to reply.

 

“Don't worry, I'm sure he'll remember something eventually!” Chan brightened up instantly like a ray of sunshine, and then ran out of the hall. “I’ll go talk to him now,” he called as he disappeared down the corner.

 

The older Ravenclaw stood there for a good few minutes as if he was trying to let the fact that Mingyu had completely forgotten about him, about _them_ , sink in. Then, without even taking a second glance back at the tables piled with food, Wonwoo strode back to his dormitory in silence. 

 

;

 

Puffy red eyes were going to be a permanent accessory on Wonwoo’s face, and he well realised that while heading back to the Ravenclaw dormitory after lessons, intentionally skipping dinner. Judging from the worried looks and not-so-secretive whispers from his friends around him, it was obvious that they intended to question him about whether he was okay and why he was so upset.

 

To which Wonwoo would have lied and said that he was fine, when it was apparent that he was not at all. But if anything, he didn’t want to drag his friends into his sorrows too. 

 

A sudden hand on his arm startled Wonwoo out of his angsty reverie, and he turned his head slowly only to meet eyes with Mingyu himself, looking relieved with a smile on his face. Wonwoo’s heart lurched at the sight, and resisted the urge to pull his arm away and run before the Gryffindor could capture even more of his thoughts.

 

“It’s Wonwoo-hyung, right?” Mingyu asked in a careful voice, and it gave Wonwoo the strangest hint of _déjà vu_. And also the inability to form proper sentences.

 

“Oh… yeah,” Wonwoo muttered, avoiding eye contact as much as he could. “Hi, Mingyu…”

 

Mingyu grinned widely, accentuating his sharp canines. “Hansol told me you didn’t eat anything for lunch or dinner, so I brought you a cheeseburger!” He held the neatly wrapped burger out to the still stunned Ravenclaw. “I hope you don’t mind them.”

 

Wonwoo supposed Mingyu had also forgotten that cheeseburgers were his favourite food, and that just made him even more bitter. “Thanks, that’s nice of you,” he replied softly.

 

Wonwoo turned to walk away from the tall boy as quickly as he could, but Mingyu grabbed his arm once more and spun him around before bowing to him. The Ravenclaw raised an eyebrow at the sight but didn’t know what to say.

 

“I’m _so_ sorry!” Mingyu yelped, his voice echoing down the empty hallway. 

 

Utterly surprised, Wonwoo blinked down at him. “For what?” he asked quietly. _Forgetting?_

 

“Chan told me that I drank a love potion you made for your crush by accident, and it ruined your chances with her!” Mingyu was still bent over, and Wonwoo was starting to wonder if it was painful for him to do so. “And that... I harassed you for 4 days,” the Gryffindor added on.

 

_Harassed?_ What exactly had Chan been telling Mingyu? Wonwoo wondered. He held on to Mingyu’s arm and pulled him up from his bow. “It’s alright, really,” Wonwoo said, trying to play it off as coolly as possible. “And Chan was exaggerating, it's not really all that bad. I quite enjoyed your company, anyway."

 

Mingyu’s relieved grin made Wonwoo’s heart flip in his chest. “Oh! That's good. Still, I'm really sorry, you must have gone through so much to try to get your crush to like you.” Wonwoo could almost see his drooping puppy ears.

 

He shrugged. “It doesn't really matter…” Wonwoo trailed off, but started to speak again. “…since you probably forgot everything by now, right?”

 

_Yes,_ he was bitter, and he wanted Mingyu to know it.

 

Mingyu looked away as if caught like a deer in the headlights, and Wonwoo knew that he had hit the nail on its head. Still, confirmation from the person himself stung Wonwoo’s heart with what felt like verbal poison. 

 

“Uhh, yeah, I’m sorry! I just have some vague impressions that we spent some time together; Quidditch and stuff.” Mingyu rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, and he looked like he honestly wanted to remember everything even though he couldn’t, and Wonwoo’s bitterness took the rear seat for a moment. 

 

“Chan said we’d attended a meteor shower viewing last night, so I wish I could remember,” Mingyu confessed sadly. 

 

“Oh,” Wonwoo choked out. So he _had_ forgotten the most important part after all.

 

Mingyu didn’t seem to notice his dilemma, and smiled brightly. Somehow, behind those spirited brown eyes, Wonwoo felt like something was off. “It’s alright, I'm sure it's better if I forget, right?”

 

Wonwoo felt nauseous at his question.“If you feel that way,” he answered curtly, reminded of how Mingyu had preferred to forget their memories if Wonwoo would be happy. Well, he was miserable now, and Mingyu couldn’t possibly do anything to save him.

 

Mingyu let out a low laugh, and shook his head slowly. “No… I mean, I’ve always had a crush on you, so I’m glad I got to spend time with you even though I’ve forgotten it already. I really wish I hadn’t, though.”

 

Wonwoo did a double take, his mind feeling like it had been hit by a truck out of nowhere. He blinked profusely and frowned up at the taller boy, wondering if he had deluded himself by mishearing things. “Wait, what?”

 

Mingyu let out a scoff at himself, smiling sadly. “I’m probably being really annoying, right? You probably don’t even want me around, talk about confessing at a time like this.” He looked down at his feet and shuffled them awkwardly.

 

Wonwoo could only process certain words. “No…” he muttered. “I mean, you _like me_?”

 

Mingyu’s shaky laughter reverberated in Wonwoo’s chest. “Haha… yeah. It’s always been a secret since we don’t usually talk, you know?” Mingyu grinned at him lopsidedly and Wonwoo wondered how he could be so calm. If it had been him, he would probably have broken down. “It’s just… ironic that I took the love potion meant for your crush.”

 

“Since when?” Wonwoo questioned, hoping he didn’t sound too demanding. He just— he needed to know.

“Since a long time ago,” Mingyu answered simply. “I had the biggest crush on you, and everybody knew, but I never allowed them to tell you because… well, I knew you liked someone else and I didn't want to disgust you,” he explained as quietly as possible, but even Wonwoo could tell that he was shaking inside.

 

“I was just… _jealous_ of you and Lisa.” Mingyu sounded frustrated, running a hand through his hair with a frown creasing his forehead. “I saw you giving her the drink, but I really didn't know it had a love potion. I drank out of her cup because... I just wanted to be in her position.” Mingyu gulped and stared at Wonwoo straight in the eyes, the latter seeing the sincerity swimming in his irises. “I'm sorry for ruining everything.”

 

Wonwoo smiled at how genuine the younger boy was, and rested a hand on his shoulder as reassurance. “You didn’t ruin anything. in fact, you made these past days the best ones i’ve ever had in hogwarts.

 

Mingyu’s frown only deepened, and so did his voice. “I wish I could remember. I’m sorry.” 

 

Something sparked inside Wonwoo, suddenly brightening up with a hope to make Mingyu recover his memories. “So… you don’t remember what happened at the meteor shower?” Wonwoo paused for a while, a certain moment stirring a bitter sensation in him. “Not at all?”

 

Mingyu sighed, smiling sadly again. “My memory’s a bit hazy…”

 

“We kissed,” Wonwoo blurted out. 

 

It was unlike him to be so blunt, but he wanted to know what Mingyu’s reaction would be. 

 

Mingyu’s eyes widened and his smile instantly fell like seats from the top of a gyro drop. “We _DID?_ I’m so sorry— Did i force you—”

 

He was still thinking about him. Wonwoo knew that he had to tell the truth.

 

“I initiated it,” Wonwoo admitted slowly, looking to the side so that he wouldn’t feel pressured by Mingyu’s surprised gaze. 

 

“I fell for you, Mingyu.” Wonwoo laughed to himself softly. “It’s so stupid, right? I thought you were annoying at first, but slowly I realised how much you cared for me, even though it might have been under the effect of a love potion. I... I fell in love with you, which was so dumb since you'd just forget everything anyway."

 

Mingyu’s voice was quiet. “Hyung.”

 

Wonwoo mustered up a smile, but it wavered and tears were balancing on the edge of his eyes. “It’s okay. I'm okay. I’ll forget about you too… eventually.” He blinked, and they streamed down his face.

 

Mingyu grabbed his shoulders, forcing Wonwoo to stare up at him with tear blotched eyes. “But I really _love_ you. Hyung, I’m serious when I say that I’ve loved you all along.” Mingyu hands slid down the other boy’s arms slowly, eventually clasping Wonwoo’s hands in his.

 

“I’m sorry I can’t remember much from the time we spent together, and I hate myself for it. But I _want_ to remember, so don’t forget, please.” Mingyu, too, had tears that were threatening to spill.

 

Despite the situation, Wonwoo couldn’t help but smile at him. That was Mingyu after all, never failing to cast a smile on his face. “Is that a confession?”

 

His tears ran loose at that. “It’s about time, right?” Mingyu grinned back, and he stepped closer to the other crying boy.

 

Wonwoo hit his chest gently, their hands still intertwined. “I hate you. Why did I have to fall for someone who forgot everything we did together?”

 

Mingyu reached up to wipe Wonwoo’s tears away with the back of his hand. “If you’re willing, I’ll rewrite your memories so that they’re replaced with new ones, and this time I won’t forget.”

 

Wonwoo felt a sense of _déjà vu_ he couldn’t put a finger on. “You promise?”

 

Mingyu looked solemn. “I won’t. I promise.” But his tone faltered. “But I mean— if you’re unsure you’d like to go out with a tall idiot like me, you can always reject me.”

 

“ _Pabo_.” Wonwoo cracked a shy smile at his sudden insecurity. “I’ll go out with you.”

 

Mingyu let out a relieved huff, then grinned and pulled Wonwoo in for a hug and— wow. Wonwoo never knew how much he could miss the warmth of someone’s touch. Against the chills of the autumn wind, Wonwoo felt at home in Mingyu’s arms.

 

“I love you,” Wonwoo confessed, though it was muffled against Mingyu’s soft sweater.

 

Mingyu lowered his gaze. “What did you say?”

 

Wonwoo lifted his head with a smile. “Nothing.”

 

 

_VII._

_epilogue_

 

 

"Hyung, sorry I'm late!"

 

Wonwoo glanced up from his book to shoot a side eye at Mingyu, who was trying to catch his breath from sprinting up the tower stairs with fluffy duvets in one hand and a bag of food in the other. Even under the dim moonlight, Wonwoo looked like a masterpiece. 

 

Sighing with exasperation, Wonwoo shut his book and allowed Mingyu to drape the blankets over his legs before the taller boy took a seat next to him. “Seriously, we've been going out for a month now and you're still late whenever we meet," Wonwoo complained. 

 

It was obvious that time management wasn't the best skill that he had. Mingyu rubbed the back of his neck with a hand, and mustered up his most sorrowful puppy look that he knew Wonwoo couldn't resist. _(_ Well, the older said he could, but Mingyu knew otherwise.) 

 

"Sorry!" he apologised again.

 

Wonwoo let out an audible sigh, but gave a small smile since he was used to it. "It's okay. At least you turned up."

 

Mingyu nodded excitedly. "Yeah! I'm pretty excited to see the meteor shower, since..." he paused. "You know..." he continued awkwardly, not sure how to address it since he had very… unwillingly forgotten their moment together. 

 

Wonwoo patted his thigh with understatement. "Me too," he assured softly. 

 

Mingyu knew the older boy was still sensitive over the fact that he had forgotten the four days they spent together while he was under the effect of the love potion, even though Wonwoo was well aware that it definitely wasn't that he wanted to forget it deliberately. Mingyu still felt bad, and across the one month that they had been dating he always kept trying to remember anything, but it never worked and Mingyu often got more frustrated than ever. 

 

"What?" Wonwoo's low voice shook him out of his thoughts, and Mingyu instinctively turned to look at the Ravenclaw. 

 

"Huh?" 

 

Wonwoo gave him a look of utmost deadpan. "You've been staring at my face for the past five minutes.”

 

Mingyu grinned back at him shyly. "Beautiful things were meant to be looked at," he articulated. 

 

Wonwoo scowled, but it was clear even under the dim shimmer of the moonlight that his cheeks were dusted red. "Shut up. Don't sweet talk me." 

 

"It's true!" Mingyu argued playfully, nudging him with his shoulder gently. 

 

Wonwoo hushed him and pointed towards towards the sky, where bright meteors were beginning to streak across, illuminating the cloudy indigo stretch above them. Mingyu sat back with an arm around the shorter boy, who was quietly chewing on a cheeseburger that he had retrieved from the bag. Wonwoo had chosen a seat right at the back, so they had their own privacy.

 

"It's beautiful," Wonwoo commented after a while, his eyes shimmering. 

 

Mingyu felt a sense of _déjà vu_ at what the smaller boy said, but he wasn’t sure what it was. Either way, he smiled widely back down at Wonwoo, casually slinging his arm around the other's shoulders and pulling him closer. 

 

"You're more beautiful," Mingyu replied cheesily. He knew Wonwoo always frowned upon his compliments, but he meant what he'd said. To him, there was no one else in the world who mattered more than the raven haired boy sitting next to him. 

 

Mingyu thought that Wonwoo would have, as usual, scowled and retorted with an indignant remark. Instead, the older boy's smile wavered, and he turned to look back at the falling meteors silently. As Mingyu watched him while confusion swam through his head, it hit him.

 

As if those words were a key, they unlocked his forgotten memories which came flowing back fast and overwhelming like he was hit in the path of an open dam.

 

Studying in the library, flying around the school together, the bet they made before the Quidditch match, the meteor shower date…

 

He remembered. 

 

_… and the kiss._

 

“I remember.”

 

“What?” Wonwoo looked up at him, confused. 

 

“I remember.” Mingyu stared into his eyes. “While I was under the love potion; the things we did together, the things you said to me, and…”

 

He paused, seeing Wonwoo’s bottom lip tremble and eyes soften.

 

“It’s okay, Mingyu,” he said, looking away. “I know I’m selfish, always wishing for you to remember, but it’s okay. You don’t have to pretend.”

 

Mingyu blinked. Wonwoo had misunderstood him. “No, hyung,” the Gryffindor grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing the older to look up at him. Even under the dim light, Wonwoo’s brimming tears were apparent. “I really remember.”

 

Wonwoo rubbed at his eyes. “You always think of me, Mingyu, and... thank you for always being so selfless. But this time it's okay to be selfish."

 

Wonwoo gently pushed Mingyu away, detaching himself from the taller boy. Mingyu stared at him in alarm, since Wonwoo had never rejected his embrace before.

 

The older boy shifted away, and turned his focus back to the meteor shower and his cheeseburger. There was no denying the extra shine in his eyes due to his tears, and Mingyu wanted to kiss them away, but he held back. 

 

Mingyu was desperate to make him believe that he had regained his memories, and he wasn't just doing it for Wonwoo's sake. He shut his eyes and thought hard about what he could say to convince him. 

 

And then it struck him. 

 

Mingyu sat back quietly. "I remember what you said. About it being okay if I forgot. Because I'd do it for you, right?"

 

It was Wonwoo's turn to sit up and stare at him. Mingyu steeled his gaze on the falling meteors.

 

“Well, I did. Even though I didn’t want to,” Mingyu heaved a sigh. “But you didn’t seem very happy after that.”

 

“You _do_ remember,” Wonwoo said softly, voice rough, and then Mingyu realised that he was crying from relief. 

 

“Of course I do,” Mingyu assured, pulling him in for a hug. 

 

“I was lying,” Wonwoo admitted in-between sniffs.“But you always thought of me so much, I thought it would have been better if you just forgot after all.”

 

“I remember now.”

 

Wonwoo’s grip on him got tighter, and he buried his head in Mingyu’s shoulder.

 

Mingyu lowered his voice. “I’m sorry it took so long.”

 

Wonwoo sniffled in reply, still pawing at his eyes to keep up his emotionless demeanour. 

 

“I won’t forget again,” Mingyu promised him, caressing his shaggy hair gently. “Because I love you.”

 

And as both of them sealed an unspoken vow under the light of hundreds of shooting stars, Mingyu pulled the other in for a kiss. 

 

Wonwoo was fragile but beautiful, like the memories Mingyu regained.

 

 

_end._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and thus concludes the end of yptsimh (apart from possible bonus chapter) 
> 
> HOPE YOU LIKED IT AND YOU CAN SAY HI @wonhaosoo on twitter (i have no friends)


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